Preamble: Howdy folks! This one has been billed as a straight battle between the lightning quick Cardinals offense and Pittsburgh's 'Steel Curtain' defence. If the Cardinals cause an upset it will shock the establishment too, as the Pittsburgh Steelers are the oldest franchise in Gridiron. Intriguing indeed. There's plenty to motivate either side too with Pittsburgh gunning for a record sixth Super Bowl crown and the Cardinals hoping to claim their first ever title.

The battle of wits on the sideline will be just as interesting as Cards coach Ken Whisenhunt looks to get one over on the guy who, just over two years ago, was given the Pittsburgh job ahead of him. Mike Tomlin hasn't done a bad job mind. He has already made history by becoming the youngest ever coach, at 36 years of age, to take a team to the Super Bowl. Whisenhunt meanwhile has garnered a winning mentality at Arizona, a trait that was acutely missing, and will surely see the Super Bowl as the grandest stage to show his former employers that they hired the wrong guy.

The key battle however will be played out between the outstanding Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and the Cards star receiver Larry Fitzgerald (who looks like Ronaldinho in the picture above I'm sure you'll agree). I expect Polamalu to be too strong and force the turnover to the Steelers' advantage.

My prediction: Pittsburgh to win 21-14. I just have a feeling the Pittsburgh defence will overwhelm the aging faculties of Cards quarter back Kurt Warner. But to be honest, what do I know? Your predictions and knowledge will be very welcome.

Pre-match build-up: Outside the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay the Super Bowl-tastic revellers have just been treated to Journey's classic power ballad 'Don't Stop Believing', which I would have hated a year ago, before it fitted perfectly the ultra-tense finale to The Sopranos. For real stadium rock though I'm chomping at the bit for 'The Boss' who is surely the best half-time act Super Bowl has had in many a year. If he does a rendition of 'Born To Run' my life will be complete. Well, my night will be anyway.

Pre-match scene setter: Our lucky man in the Florida sunshine is Paolo Bandini and here's his take on Super Bowl XLIII.

"Raymond James Stadium is filling up nicely now, and as predicted the Pittsburgh Steelers fans in attendance outnumber their Arizona Cardinals counterparts by some way, though I'm not sure the ratio looks as high as the 10:1 that was predicted. Then again, my judgement may be skewed by the fact the international press seats are right behind the biggest group of Cards fans in the stadium.

I'm sticking with the prediction I made in my blog earlier today, which was that the Steelers would win. Teams boasting the league's No1-ranked defence are 8-1 in Super Bowls, and I just think that Pittsburgh are going to find ways to force turnovers.

That said the first touchdown will be huge. If Arizona can jump out to an early lead, as they have done in every playoff game so far, they will have every chance. Pittsburgh's offence is not especially explosive, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can be forced into turnovers of his own if forced to chase the game. The Cards don't forget, have racked up eight interceptions over the course of their three playoff games so far." Ah, well so the man-who-knows is in agreement with my prediction. I might yet pull this off.

An email: "Hi Gregg," says Simon Frank. "Just seen the usual sentimental 'human-interest' piece on Larry Fitzgerald here on NBC. His mum died of breast cancer so you HAVE to want the Cards to win now. Incredibly, the usually tacky music used in these features was none other than Nick Drake!" Let me guess which Nick Drake song it was: Time Has Told Me or Why Leave Me Hanging on a Star? The music tonight is pretty good.

Here's Gary Naylor's missive: "I'm taking a bunch of Deerhunteresque smelting furnace hardened blue collar guys to beat a bunch of aged theologians who spend most of their time interpreting Papal encyclicals." I've just learnt a new word Gary, thanks.

There's correspondence-aplenty now. Sounds like Mr Bandini can't see the pitch for the towels. "The way it looks when all those Terrible Towels are twirling, you'd be forgiven for thinking there's not a single Cardinals fan in the stadium. That is emphatically not the case - there are enough here that we've had a pretty loud roar every time Kurt Warner has shown up on the Jumbotron - but the impression is all that really matters." If anybody can tell me what a Jumbotron is I'd really appreciate it. It sounds like a killer transformer to me.

Naylor's back. "Gregg - are you watching Sky or BBC? Once Adrian Chiles handed over to Jake Humphreys, that sealed it for me. Sky it is." I'm with Sky too Gary, but if the ad breaks go into overdrive, as much as it pains me, I might have to revert to Jake. Sorry!

11.09pm: The Steelers jog out to the pumping bass of Fatboy Slim's Right Here Right Now. There's plenty finger-pointing and whooping going on. The Cards march out to some god-awful emo dirge. Forget the tactics. The Steelers are already one-up.

"I'm all up night now, with no school due to the snowy weather," says Damien in Manchester. "Yippee. Was blown away by Eli Manning last year, that and several jugs of cheap lager in a low down and dirty bar (The Goat) in Keystone, Colorado, after taking an afternoon off snowboarding to watch the Super Bowl. Know little or nothing about this year's, other than the Observer piece on Larry Fitzgerald, so any pointers for the slow-lads at the back? Or can we switch subjects to something off kilter and youthful reminiscing about the crows in KiaOra ads?" That's not a bad idea Damien. My favourite ads from around that time were the Hamlet ones. I always get teary-eyed when I think about the good old 80s.

11.14pm: Anyway, back to the Super Bowl yeah! You're not missing anything. Kurt Warner has been given an award prior to the match. It's the Walter Something-or-other award for the Man of the Year. Maybe that evens things up after the Steelers took an early advantage with the entrance music.

11.16pm: Wow! Is this for real? Faith Hill is singing America America! It's the most over-sentimental thing I've ever witnessed. I know that's all par for the course at Super Bowl but that made me feel sick. Maybe I'm too British and too cynical. Maybe The Boss will bring everyone down to earth with Born In The USA. I hope so.

11.19pm: Jennifer Hudson has just burst a lung with a rollicking rendition of Star Spangled Banner. There was a bit of Pop Idol warbling towards the end. Simon Cowell would have loved it but 6/10 for me. I'm a hard man to please. S'pose that's why I'm single.

11.22pm: "Walter Payton. Payton," harrumphs Neil Mackie. "Yeah, he was an insignificant player and didn't happen to be a Hall of Fame running back that was one of the stars when the NFL was first marketed over in this country. I think you need to use some Sky red button action and turn onto the dummies guide." Apologies Mr Mackie. I haven't got a red button I'm afraid. If I did, you're right, I'd likely be pressing it with the fury of a 1,000 spartans.

11.26pm: We're almost ready to rumble. I will now put my limey cynicism aside and let Super Bowl become me.

11.27pm: The coin toss has taken place. Arizona have won it. Pittsburgh will recieve.

11.32pm: Cards kick-off. Rackers makes the tackle for Cards around the 30-yard line.

11.32pm: Willie Parker gains three yards for Pittsburgh with a running play.

11.33pm: Big Ben hands off a brilliant play action and finds Hines Ward to win 38 yards for the Steelers. That's a great start. Hines was moving freely.

11.35pm: Heath Miller picks up another direct centre pass from Ben just short of the end zone. The Cards' defence holds strong however.

11.37pm: Willie Parker receives a yard from the end zone. This is an impressive start from The Steelers.

11.38pm: Ben Roethlisberger runs from 10 yards and crashes onto the line. It looks a touchdown to me but Cardinals are going to challenge the decision. The Cards' defence hasn't been able to handle the physicality of The Steelers so far.

11.41pm: Looking at the replay I'd say it was a touchdown, but the decision has gone against the Steelers. No touchdown! It looks like Pittsburgh will go for the field goal from 19 yards. That was a let off for the Cards.

11.43pm:Arizona 0-3 Pittsburgh. The kick is good. The Cardinals can take heart from that challenge. It will be interesting to see how they counter.

11.44pm:Match clock: 09.45. Kurt Warner takes to the field for the Cards and prepares for his first play. He'll start at the 27-yard line.

11.46pm: Steve Breston recieves just short of 37 yards as Warner tries to find his range. Pittsburgh concede a penalty and Cards have another first down.

11.49pm: Cards look a little nervy as Warner fumbles but they regain posession. It's all quite scrappy as Arizona attempt to scramble the ball forward. Timmins puts pressure on Warner, who misses Bolin and makes an incomplete pass.

11.50pm: Cards punt and the Steelers pick it up on the 27-yard line. Arizona didn't get into their stride in their first offensive attempt.

11.52pm:The clock: 6.13 Big Ben (I have to call him that as I'm having trouble with his name) fakes and throws to his left where Holmes recieves and gains 25 yards.

11.55pm: Great defence from Cards. Big Ben tries to find Washington with a huge 40-yard pass but Rodgers-Cromartie does brilliantly to tip it away just as a touchdown looked imminent.

11.57pm: From 45 yards Big Ben picks up and scrambles left and right looking for an option. The Cards can't get close to him and he finds Heath Miller with a spiralling pass 15 yards forward. Big Ben is chiming tonight. Sorry, that was woeful, but it's late.

11.58pm:Clock 2.30. Big Ben keeps it simple with a short pass to his tight-end Miller to win another first down on 15 yards.

0.00am:Clock 1.00. Parker takes the ball to the five-yard line as Big Ben keeps his rhthym. That's the end of the first quarter. The Steelers have been the dominant force. they've gained over 100 yards more than the Cards, whose defence has just, just, held strong.

0.03am: "The over-specialisation of American sports was clear there in the failed touchdown rush. It was a open goal, but the QB's technique in contact was dismal and the touchdown was rightly ruled out. Any rugby player at pro-level in any position would have got that home," says Gary Naylor. Fair point Gary. He did lose momentum as he tried to tumble over the line.

Second quarter: The Steelers start five yards from the line. They try to rush it but there's a bit of fisticuffs as a Cardinals player loses his helmet in the melee. Pittsburgh call a time-out at third and goal.

0.06am: "John Madden's knowledgeable, intelligent punditry makes Andy Gray look like an over the top Scottish idiot talking tosh," says Phil Bridgehouse. Andy Gray doesn't need John Madden to make him look like an over the top Scottish idiot talking tosh, Phil. He does a great job himself.

0.08am:Clock 14.01:Touchdown! The Cards can't hold Pittsburgh back any longer and they rush the ball over the line with Gary Russell. He shot in fast and low. The touchdown has been coming. This has been a steady authoritative performance from the Steelers.

0.11am:Arizona 0-10 Pittsburgh. The Steelers make the kick. Warner is back on the field and prepares to mount Cards' comeback.

0.13am: Here Mr Bandini's view from the Raymond James Stadium. "Wow, this is already looking like it could get very ugly, very quickly. Ben Roethlisberger is playing out of his skin, but Steelers offensive co-ordinator also deserves his props. Pittsburgh are switching formations constantly - from three wide receiver sets to three tight ends and even a little Wildcat. There's no better way of shutting down the Cards' explosive offence than keeping them off the field altogether." I agree.

0.14am: Warner's first attempt is incomplete. He played a 10-yard pass to his left but his tight-end dropped it.

0.15am: James receives Warner's second attempt on the outside. They get the second first down again. This is better. Warner is finding a little rhthym.

0.16am: Steve Breston receives on the outside-left and the Cards get their third first down on the 39-yard line.

0.17am: James is showing some good form. Warner finds James, who dodges a tackle with a slick bit of footwork and charges 11 yards forwards. Another first down.

0.19am: Anquan Boldin takes his first pass over 45 yards forwards. He's taken out just two yards from the line. This is looking good for Cards.

0.21am:Clock: 8.34. Arizona 7-10 PittsburghTouchdown! Tight-end Ben Patrick takes Warner's 10-yard pass in the end-zone. Warner was protected brilliantly in the Cards' attack. What a brilliant response. That was Patrick's first touchdown of the season. What an occasion to get it.

An angry email: "And would Gary Naylor perhaps care to name for me the rugby players who could make the forward pass Ben made? Or does he perhaps have some hilarious bits about how, criminy, those Yank lads sure do wear an awful lot of padding? Or could he perhaps head over to Cricinfo and leave this to the people who know about it?" says Thoroughly Lost(!?) I'm just the messenger Gary, I'm just the messenger...

0.26am:Clock 6.56. Pittsburgh start on the 30-yard line. Big Ben makes a few attempts to push forwards, but the Cards defend resolutely.

0.28am:Clock 5.58. This time Ben scrambles right but there's a penalty for holding and Pittsburgh are pushed back to the 17-yard line on their third down. The tables are beginning to turn as the Cards pin Pittsburgh back.

0.30am:Clock 4.36. Pittsburgh punt. Breston receives and shows an electric turn of pace as he rushes up-field to take the Cards up to the Steelers' 46-yard line. Warner finds James with a play off to his left but James is run out of bounds.

0.33am:Clock 3.00. Pittsburgh flex their muscle and try the blitz. Warner is chased down and James is penalised for holding. Woodley then sacks Warner and Cards call a time-out as they try to work out how to get through the 'Steel Ring'.

0.36am: Warner finds James free to his left with a short pass five yards forward but James drops a clanger and lets the ball slip from his grasp. The Cards are forced to punt. Ben Graham hoists a 45-yard punt forwards and force Pittsburgh to play from their 16-yard line. That should suit William Sinclair, who just sent this: "Any word on the performance of the Cardinal's punter - Australia's Own Ben Graham? I note that 11:50pm the Cards punted, but there was no description of the kick - direction, hang time, kicking style, tightness of the kicker's pants... C'mon mate - this match could make Australia the NFL World Champions! And with our cricket team struggling, God knows we need the title..." He's actually recovering from injury William.

0.40am:Clock: 2.17. Big Ben makes his first howler. He dwells on the ball and has his pass turned over as Dansby tips the ball back into Cards possession. Arizona will fancy their chances now.

0.43am: Cardinals will likely attempt a field-goal to level the score and go into half-time as happy as Larry.

0.44am:Clock 2.00. I can already imagine Bruce Springsteen warming his larynx backstage prior to his half-time show. Meanwhile on the pitch, Warner throws the ball out of play with his first attempt. But then finds Hightower to his left who gains 10-yards to win the first down.

0.46am:Clock 0.59. A timeout is called so here's an email re rugby v NFL: "In response to Gary: No Rugby player could ever make that forward pass. However, lets take a look at skillsets. Ben: Catching. Passing. Juan Martin Hernandez (Randomly picked fly-half): Passing, Kicking (out of hand), Kicking (place), Tackling. Running and Evasion. Safety under the high ball. And chances are, probably a bit of rucking too..." Well there you have it. I'm going to sit on the fence, although I am mighty impressed by the accuracy of the quarterbacks under pressure.

0.49am:Clock 0.40. Warner pushes the Cards forward to the Steelers' five-yard line with a variety of rushes and short passes to his running backs. Larry Fitzgerald is being heavily marked but that is opening up opportunities.

0.52am: Wow! What a turn up for the books. A touchdown for Pittsburgh. James Harrison intercepts Warner's attempted pass into the end-zone and rushes 100 YARDS upfield to make Super Bowl history with the longest run ever. The play is going to be reviewed as there is some debate as to whether his knee went out of bounds. Apparently.

0.54am:Clock: 0.00. Arizona 7-16 Pittsburgh. The touchdown stands. Steelers linebacker Harrison is over the moon. But I think that's down to a mixture of the oxygen he's receiving to get his wind back and the giddy excitement that comes with running 100 yards to touchdown at the Super Bowl.

0.57am:Arizona 7-17 Pittsburgh. The Steelers convert the kick and the teams shoot off for half-time. After looking at the replay of Harrison's amazing run, Pittsburgh's defence did a great job clearing the path for him to sprint through. Cards quarterback Warner will have to get his chin up for the second-half. Although he will get the chance to direct play when the second-half starts.

Here's Paolo Bandini's take on the first-half: "Unbelievable finish to the half. Watching the replays it looked to me as though Harrison's knee may have gone down before he crossed the line, but there was nothing conclusive enough to overturn the call on the field. The Cards now need to score on their first drive of the second half, because the longer this game goes on with the Steelers ahead, the more Warner is going to have to force throws into coverage."

Perfect half-time fuel: Caffeine + Bruce Springsteen = turbo MBM fingers. Back shortly for The Boss. Oh, and I will endeavour to update the score after each post in the second-half.

Half-time entertainment courtesy of Bruce Springsteen: Must confess, only caught the end of his first song as I had to take a toilet break. But I did see Bruce slide knees-first into a cameraman. It was brilliantly executed for a veteran rocker. Then, yes, go on The Boss. He lurches into Born To Run with the gusto of James Harrison as he set off on his marathon touchdown. The crowd bounce around like it's Christmas morning, fireworks shoot off in every direction and my cynicism trickles out of Guardian Towers and I feel utterly ashamed. Super Bowl is brilliant. More Bruce to come...

1.16am: Bruce has gone for a medley as he tries to make the stadium bounce. Steve Van Zandt gets involved on Glory Days and they have a right old laugh as they play out. Meanwhile this from Jonny Mac in New York re The Boss sliding lunchbox-first towards the camera. "I'm scared - how did Bruce Springsteen know I was mid dip with a chip in Guacamole?"

1.21am: Bandini's a hard man to please. "The Boss seems to have gone down well here in Tampa, with a huge chorus of 'Bruuuuuuuce' at the end of the set, though to be honest I was fairly nonplussed. Which is probably just because I'm not that big a Springsteen fan. If you're wondering why there were all those sparkly lights in the crowd (aside from the camera flashes), I can tell you that a message came up on the jumbotron saying 'flashlights on'. Everyone obeyed."

"Disappointed he didn't play born in the USA, considering the all-american ness of this event," says Ian B. " And indeed the fact he was following on from Tom Petty who did play american girl. Would have been a perfect way to end it in my personal opinion. Oh well, not bad i suppose. Go Cards!" Not sure the anti-Vietnam message would have gone down too well Ian. Too subversive. Born To Run did it for me.

How that show would have translated to Europe, courtesy of Erik Petersen, who has previously emailed under the pseudonym Thoroughly Lost (long story apparently). "I'm trying to figure out what the English version of that show would be. I've got it down to either: Gary Numan at tea on the first day of the Lord's Ashes test, or John Otway at the half of the FA Cup. Either way: thrilling times."

Arizona 7-17 Pittsburgh: Clock 14.02 James collects a short pass and rushes through to the 37-yard line. Warner plays a running game and James makes seven yards. On the third down James rushes the three yards to win a first down. This is good scrapping from the Cards.

Arizona 7-17 Pittsburgh: Clock 12.17 Warner finds Boldon to his left but the Cards hardly make any ground. On the second down Warner flops the ball off to James, who is free to his right, but he runs sideways and the Cards have six yards to make on the third down.

Arizona 7-17 Pittsburgh: Clock 11.20 There's confusion as Warner is hit as he tries to release the ball forwards. The ball bounces off somebody's foot and we await a decision as to whether it was a fumble or an incomplete pass.

An Aussie by the name of William Sinclair writes: "Disappointed at the absence of a Janet Jackson-style wardrobe malfunction in the half time show. Imagine the excitement if the Boss had finished his set by tearing Tom Petty's pants away to reveal a pair of stained undies with an errant testicle hanging out... Not only would it have been incredibly erotic, it could also have been passed off as a daring commentary on the state of the global economy. An opportunity missed." We have The Boss's strong denim to thank for that. Weaker denim would have split asBruce went down on his knees.

Arizona 7-17 Pittsburgh: Clock 10.59 An incomplete pass is ruled and the Australian Ben Graham punts to the Steelers' 18-yard line. Apparently, Graham is one of the biggest kickers in the NFL. Big Ben Roethlisberger will try to take the Steelers forward.

Arizona 7-17 Pittsburgh: Clock 10.50 The Cards defend well on the first down and tackle Parker on the 15-yard line. Holmes collects a pass on the outside-right but runs it out of play. Big Ben finds his form however, and finally forces the Steelers up to their 40-yard line through Hines Ward.

Arizona 7-17 Pittsburgh: Clock 8.27 Ward takes a brilliant low pass to his right to win another first down on the 50-yard line. He made a low dive and collected it into his chest as he evaded the tackle.

Arizona 7-17 Pittsburgh: Clock 8.09 Big Ben gets into trouble but somehow manages to shimmy his way out of it and win a penalty as Dansby is pulled up for a personal foul. Pittsburgh go forward 15 yards. Big Ben makes a 25-yard pass to Holmes and takes the Steelers to the Cards' 20-yard line. The force appears to be with them.

Arizona 7-17 Pittsburgh: Clock 5.27 Parker rushes through a hole in the Cards' defence and takes Pittsburgh up to the 10-yard line. Heath Miller made a great block to allow Parker to run through.

Arizona 7-17 Pittsburgh: Clock 4.00 Miller then cocks up as Big Ben finds him with a short five-yard pass which is dropped. On the third down Roethlisberger gets into all kinds of trouble and throws the ball out of play. The fourth down is going to be a field goal attempt by Reed. He slots it between the posts but a personal foul is given against the Cards and Pittsburgh have a first down attempt. This is a massive chance for Pittsburgh to set up a match-winning position.

Arizona 7-17 Pittsburgh: Clock 3.02 Willie Parker tries rushes seven yards but is stopped in his tracks. Three yards from the end zone Arizona halt another rush on the second down and on the third Big Ben is taken out by an aggressive tackle from Watson.

Arizona 7-20 Pittsburgh: Clock 2.32 Reed kicks the field-goal and Pittsburgh take the three points. Arizona's defence stood firm and did well to avoid conceding a touchdown. The Cards need a bit of inspiration here. Perhaps Fitzgerald can step up to the plate.

Here's a Paolo Bandini missive: "A lot of people here are very unhappy with some of the penalties that went against Arizona on that drive. You get more replays than me, so you'll have a better idea, but the facemask in particular got Cards' fans backs up. Even in the press seats there's a sense that Terry McAulay's crew is being a bit excessively fussy. Huge stop to force a field goal after that last personal foul penalty. Goes without saying that it would have been game over if Pittsburgh had scored a TD there."

Arizona 7-20 Pittsburgh: Clock 2.10 Pittsburgh kick to the Cards' 20-yard line and Warner plays a five-man rush on his first down to force them forwards five yards. On his second down the Cards rush three yards to the 28-yard line. Third down: Boldon collects eight yards forwards on the outside-right to win another first down past the 30-yard line. Warner is getting that arm moving, but where's Fitzgerald?

An email: "My dollars are on the line now," says The Big Apple's very own Jonny Mac. "I need the Cardinals to get a field goal here and end this quarter 20-10. If we all focus as one..." ...we'll probably go bog-eyed, but hey I'll give it a go I feel a bit nauseous anyway.

Fourth quarter: Arizona 7-20 Pittsburgh: Cards concede a penalty as Steelers' Harrison is held. Cards are pushed back to their 20-yard line and Warner has a job on here to get them going forward. Ben Graham tries to punt long to get the Cards out of trouble but it's short and only forces the Steelers back 27 yards.

Arizona 7-20 PittsburghClock: 13.38 Steelers start on their 40-yard line. Big Ben makes an incomplete pass but a penalty is given against Cards and Steelers are given another five yards and a first down.

Arizona 7-20 PittsburghClock: 13.02 Cards hold Pittsburgh back on their 45-yard line. Big Ben mixes his first two plays but doesn't gain any ground. On his third down he struggles to get his pass away and is sacked by Darnell Dockett.

Arizona 7-20 PittsburghClock: 12.01 Pittsburgh make huge kick and force the Cards back to their 19-yard line. Warner really needs to earn his corn in the next 12 minutes.

Arizona 7-20 PittsburghClock: 11.02 Warner completes with a 12-yard pass to get the Cards moving forward. His next play takes them a further 15 yards to the 50-yard line. Warner is ticking, but so is the clock...

Arizona 7-20 PittsburghClock: 10.25 This is moving too quickly for me. Warner finds Fitzgerald with a 15-yard pass. He plucks it from the air, turns, and dashes 10 yards forward to Pittsburgh's 28-yard line. This is good stuff from the Cards.

Arizona 7-20 PittsburghClock: 9.08 Fitzgerald is in the game for sure now. He takes another pass just five yards from the Steelers' end zone and Pittsburgh take a timeout.

Meanwhile in email land you're all dropping like flies: "For some strange reason even though I've been watching the game on the telly I've continued to check your updates," writes Stuart Fletcher, which gives me just a modicum, a modicum I say, of self worth. "I only turned the damn thing on because I clicked your link on a whim. Sadly my constitution fails me and to bed I must trot. I believe what did me in was watching young Harrison trot all that way breaking records and almost his neck in the landing. Haven't watched the Super Bowl since I was a wee lad when it was popular over here the first time around. May the Steelers continue to trounce the Cards, they were always whipping boys in my day and if they're good now who is supposed to stop the Saints looking appalling. I think someone is getting ideas above their station. A sound thrashing will remind them that deep down they're from St Louis."

Arizona 14-20 PittsburghClock: 8.18Touchdown! Fitzgerald moves wide right in the end zone and Warner finds him with a high pass which Larry leaps up to pluck out of the air. The field goal is converted and this game is back on! Fitzgerald held his marker off brilliantly there.

Arizona 14-20 PittsburghClock: 7.20 Bandini's hot and bothered in Florida. "Nobody catches jump balls like Fitzgerald. The Cards knew all the attention was going to be on him in this game and that's why Warner used his other - also very talented - receivers earlier on, but you can't help but wonder if they lose this game whether they won't regret taking this long to get him the ball."

Arizona 14-20 PittsburghClock: 7.02 The Cards kick to Pittsburgh's 25-yard line. Big Ben dwells on the ball and gets absolutely buried on the 18-yard line. The Cards maybe, just maybe, smell fear in the Pittsburgh ranks...

Arizona 14-20 PittsburghClock: 5.46 Pittsburgh kick to the Cards' 25-yard-line. The Cards have just over five minutes to win this. What odds on a 21-20 victory? Darnell Dockett has had a mountainous match for Arizona. That was a great sack on Roethlisberger.

Arizona 14-20 PittsburghClock: 5.28 Here we go folks! The Cards have the chance to make history by stealing Pittsburgh's record away from them. Taylor commits a foul and the Cards get a 15-yard advantage and first down on their 49-yard line.

Arizona 14-20 PittsburghClock: 4.37 Warner is protected brilliantly and sends a 20-yard pass arrowing through to Preston, who collects on the Steelers' 40-yard line. Will they do it?

Arizona 14-20 PittsburghClock: 3.41 Warner struggles to get the ball away as the Pittsburgh defence comes to the fore. His second and third down attempts amount to nothing. Graham punts to the Steelers' two-yard line - but a flag is raised for a personal foul by Harrison, who started punching someone for no reason the stupid idiot. Pittsburgh are forced to play from two yards.

Arizona 14-20 PittsburghClock: 3.21 This is a real test of the Steelers defence. Parker is tackled on the goal-line and Pittsburgh are already onto their third down and making no ground.

Arizona 16-20 PittsburghClock: 3.02 Big Ben shows nerves of steel as he throws 20 yards to Holmes, but a flag is raised and a safety is ruled.That's two points to Arizona. That negates Pittsburgh's gain and they will have to play a free-kick from the 20-yard line. Pittsburgh kick to Cards' 36-yard line. This is squeeky bum time for sure as Cards prepare their offense...

Arizona 23-20 PittsburghClock: 2.37Touchdown! Cometh the hour cometh the man. Fitzgerald plucks a brilliant pass from the air in a huge hole in the middle of the field. He then runs for all his worth the 40 yards into the end zone. What a finish! The kick is completed and Cards have the lead.

Paolo Bandini has this to say: "This place is going nuts. Steelers home game? Pull the other one - there are plenty of Cards fans in this building and right now they are making themselves heard."

Arizona 23-20 PittsburghClock: 2.24 "Oh man," says Jonny Mac. "you could have driven a bus through that hole! Played Cardinals, this could be an amazing finish." Big Ben finds Holmes and drives Pittsburgh forwards to their 30-yard line. They need to do some serious attacking now!

Arizona 23-20 PittsburghClock: 1.56 Third down on Pittsburgh's 26-yard line. Big Ben evades a tackle as the Cards try to blitz him and finds Holmes to win the first down on their 40-yard line.

Arizona 23-20 PittsburghClock: 1.30 Big Ben then runs forward himself as he tries to get Pittsburgh past the 50-yard line to within kicking distance to level the match. But then he finds a great pass 25 yards to Holmes on th right. He turns and scurries away to within five yards of the end zone. This is incredibly tense.

Arizona 23-20 PittsburghClock: 0.49 The distance between success and failure can be measured in inches. Big Ben's first pass into the end zone is exactly one inch away from Ward's hands.

Arizona 23-27 PittsburghClock: 0.30Touchdown! Big Ben scuttles back on his second attempt and releases a rapid-fire pass deep into the right hand corner where Holmes leaps and takes a match-winning catch to put Pittsburgh moments away from Super Bowl glory. Jeff Reed kicks to take Pittsburgh four points clear.

Arizona 23-27 PittsburghClock: 0.29 Arizona need 77 yards. They have two timeouts, however, so there is a chance.

Arizona 23-27 PittsburghClock: 0.22 Warner finds Fitzgerald free on the left. He drives out to their 44-yard line. Warner is protected well again as he completes to Arrington who takes Arizona up to the Pittsburgh 45-yard line.

Arizona 23-27 PittsburghClock: 0.05 It looks to be all over for the Cards. Warner fumbles as he tries to release. Pittsburgh get possession.

Arizona 23-27 PittsburghClock: 0.00 It's all over. Pittsburgh make history by winning a record sixth Super Bowl. That was one hell of a finish to a fiercely contested match.

Post-match musings: Well, that was one hell of a tense finish. The big players stood up to be counted and gave a great account of themselves. Harrison's 100-yard run for touchdown just before half-time was the moment of the match for me, but fair play to Steelers quarterback Big Ben, who was super-cool under pressure when it really mattered. Pittsburgh deserve the win for their consistent play over the season, but Cards gave it their all and made it a great final. Thanks for your emails. I'm off to battle through the snow and find my bed. Goodnight.